The present invention concerns a procedure for manufacturing storage batteries in which procedure a plate frame of storage battery plates is compound-applied with an active material applying apparatus. The apparatus includes at least one rotating compound application wheel provided with dispensing members for dispensing the active material on a conveyor belt of equivalent moving support. The belt travels under the application apparatus for conveying the active material to the plate frame.
The invention also concerns a device for manufacturing storage battery plates, the device comprising an active material application apparatus located above the conveyor belt, or equivalent moving support, for conveying the plate frames for storage battery plates. The material application apparatus includes at least one rotary compound applying wheel provided with dispensing members, the wheel being disposed when rotating to dispense the active material on the conveyor belt travelling thereunder.
The storage battery plates are in general manufactured in such manner that a plate blank, placed on a conveying base, e.g. on a belt, can receive active material which e.g. in a lead battery consists of lead oxide, water, sulphuric acid and requisite additives. For the lead battery, the plate frame has been formed of a lead wire reticle. The active material is compressed on the plate frame and is smoothed thereafter e.g. with the aid of rollers or equivalent. Thereafter, the storage battery plate is detached from the conveying base in an appropriate manner.
The active material is in nature claylike and sticky, which causes considerable problems in applying the compound on the plate frame. A means for applying the active compound is known in the art in which lead wire nets, that is, the plate frames, have been placed on a mobile conveyor belt which moves the plate frames past the active compound applying head. In the designs known in the art, a silo or equivalent has been disposed in the head applying the active compound. The head employs a rotary blade wheel, and an application roller thereunder applies the active compound on the plate frame passing under the silo.
However, the designs of the prior art have numerous drawbacks. A considerable drawback is that the dispensing with the blade wheel and with the application roller is inaccurate because the application roller does not permit dispensing an appropriate layer of the compound on a plate frame passing on the conveyor belt with sufficient accuracy. When passing under the silo, the plate frame has to "tear" the requisite layer of compound in place. This kind of design known in the prior art requires considerable and time-consuming subsequent cleaning of the storage battery plates as well as calibration of the completed storage battery plates to provide sufficiently homogenous plates. The mechanical strength of the plate frame is also required to be very high.